Nauticalia

William Bligh (1754-1817) joined the Royal Navy in 1770 working his way up from Midshipman to Lieutenant. He sailed with Captain Cook from 1776 to 1780 where he was tasked with seeking out the Northwest Passage from the Pacific side. After the 1783 Treaty of Versailles, ending all Britain's hostilities with Europe and America, he was put on half-pay, so joined the merchant service to make ends meet. He made numerous trading voyages to Jamaica, until in 1787 he was called back by the Admiralty for a mission to collect breadfruit plants from Tahiti (in the Pacific). These were to be exported to the islands of the Caribbean and grown as cheap food for slaves. Bethia, a relatively small merchant ship (of 91' and 215 tons), was purchased at a cost of £1,960. She was re-named HMS Bounty and departed England in December 1787. The innovative moulding process we specify to manufacture the hull of these display models enables us to include an incredible amount of intricate detail at relatively low cost (compared with wood). We have put particular focus on improving the accuracy/scaling of the rigs and fittings such as anchors, cannons and longboats. They come supplied completely assembled ready for display, and accompanied by a history leaflet.